A Wolf's Dream
by Saeble
Summary: A shewolf named Alueme joins the boys in their search for the elusive paradise, but what happens when they come across a demon who offers them help? Currently being rewritten.
1. A wolf named Alueme

_Alueme. That's my name. I'm a black wolf with green eyes. I've been doing my best to survive by my self, but it's harder then you think. I was having a pretty cruddy life, that is, until I met...them..._

Alueme's human stomach growled with hunger. She flung her long brown hair out of her face in frustration. She hadn't eaten in two days. It was her personal honor code never to eat the garbage of humans. Nasty creatures and they waste so much of what they get, instead of using their resources wisely. It is a little late for them for them, thought the female wolf. If only there was some way for her to maybe steal... No. It wouldn't be right, but tough times call for tough measures.

Then something in the crowd caught her eye. More like someone. It was a wolf in human form, that's for sure. "Now where did he get to," Alueme asked herself.

Then a voice made her jump. "Looking for me?" She turned and came face to face with the wolf, in human form of course. He had sandy colored hair and wore a baggy yellow sweatshirt. "Uh well yeah, I guess..." He cocked his head, "So, you're one of us right?" The she-wolf was taken aback by the response "Um, Us?"

The other wolf smiled, "Yeah, Kiba and Toboe are around here somewhere, and Tsume went off alone again." "And the others are wolves too?" He nodded. Alueme was certainly surprised by this. It was rare to find another wolf, let alone four others! "Well then, let me introduce myself. I'm Alueme." "Alueme huh? I'm Hige. Come on, I wanna find the others and introduce you to them."

Hige started off into the crowd. When he realized Alueme wasn't following, he turned and said, "Come on, I promise it's not a trap." The she-wolf licked her lips nervously then sighed, "Alright." Hige walked off into the crowd again and this time Alueme followed.

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Me: Sorry this was so short. Don't worry; it'll be longer next chapter. I'm just getting warmed up. -_smiles evilly-_

Kura: R&R. And no, Saeble does not own Wolf's Rain.

Me: Next chapter Alueme meets the other wolves!


	2. Meet the group

_Just so you know, Alueme is pronounced: Al-loo-may. __Now on with the story:  
_  
Alueme cautiously followed Hige throughout the crowd. She had learned never to trust anyone completely. If you were dependent on someone else too much, then how would you ever get by alone? Well it was a little late to decide not to trust Hige.  
  
The two wolves weaved their way through the crowd until they came to other wolves. Alueme took a good look at them. One of them had dark hair and pure blue eyes. He was wearing jeans and a black coat with a white shirt underneath. The second wolf was younger. He had mahogany colored hair and innocent eyes of the same color. This one wore a pale red jacket and olive pants.  
  
Hige waved, "Hey, Kiba, Toboe! Look what I found!" The dark haired wolf, who was leaning against a wall, looked up at Hige, then turned his attention to Alueme. The she-wolf met the blue gaze with apprehension. She didn't want them to get the wrong impression, but how was she to know what impression to give? It figures, she thought to herself, I've never met another wolf in pretty much my whole life and then one day I meet three. The young wolf came running up, "Hi, I'm Toboe! What's your name?" The she- wolf smiled at his friendliness, "My name is Alueme. Nice to meet you, Toboe." The third wolf introduced himself, "I'm Kiba."  
  
Alueme looked at the three wolves with admiration, "So you three are- are a pack?" The one called Kiba answered first, "No. We're just a few wolves trying to find paradise." "There's also Tsume. He went to find us a place to stay for the night," added Toboe. Alueme nodded and then said, "You know, my mother used to tell me stories about Paradise. She said that it was a perfect place where our kind could live in harmony." The she-wolf's eyes softened as she reminisced about her past.  
  
Then Toboe asked, "Would you like to go to paradise with us? I'm sure it'll be fine! Right Kiba?" They all looked at the white wolf and waited for his response. "Well, I don't see why not," he said with a small grin. A smiled grew across Hige's face, "Cool, they'll be a pretty girl to look at!" Alueme looked a little embarrassed and ran her tongue across her dry lips. She was glad when Toboe interrupted, "And I'll have someone to talk to! Kiba is usually quiet and Hige and Tsume just ignore me." "So do you want to join us?" asked Kiba. Alueme looked to the ground, "Well I..." She sighed, "I don't see why not!" "That's great!" cheered Toboe. "Yeah, I'll say!" added Hige. Kiba only smiled.  
  
"So, are any of you going to tell me about this Tsume guy?" inquired the she-wolf. "What about me?" snapped a voice. Alueme turned and saw a white haired guy walking towards them. He had leather pants and wore a leather shirt with 'V' shaped cuts on each shoulder. Kiba asked, "So did you find someplace?" He looked at Kiba, "Yeah. Did you guys get food?" "Yup," said Toboe as he ran over to pick up the brown paper bag full of food. "And I found her! She agreed to come with us!" announced the slightly cubby wolf as he pointed at Alueme. The gray wolf, Tsume, took a look at the she-wolf and turned back to Hige and complained, "She's just another mouth to feed." The young Toboe smiled, "With Tsume, that means he thinks you should come!" A low growl rose from Tsume's throat. Not to threaten, but as a warning. Then Kiba asked, "Why don't you show us where we'll be staying, Tsume." "Right, come on."  
  
Then the group of wolves set off through the city until they reached an old empty building. "Welcome home," said Tsume in his normal tone. "This place is kind neat, "commented the brown pup. "I call that corner!" yelled Hige as he ran over to get settled in. The four males all found a place to sleep. Alueme had picked a place near a broken out window. The cool night air and the whistling wind soon lulled the she-wolf into a dreamless sleep.

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Me: So how was it? Please don't be mean to me. Next chapter the wolves leave the city and Alueme gets to try her hand (or paw in this case) at hunting. How will she do? Wait and see. I'll try to make it longer too... 


	3. The Hunt

The fives wolves had awaken early to slip out of the city unnoticed. At least they would have if they had not come across a strange sight. "Ugh, what is that thing? And how is it moving if it doesn't have any legs?" asked Hige. Tsume snorted, "That 'thing' is a snake. I've seen a few before. They are hard to catch though." "How can they be hard to catch if they don't have legs?" inquired Toboe. "It's because they don't have legs that they are hard to catch. They can fit into small places and hide," answered Kiba kindly. Then Tsume turned to the she-wolf, "Can you hunt?" Alueme felt slightly offended by the question, "Well of course I can. What kind of wolf do you think I am?" Tsume smirked, "Then let's see you catch that snake." "Alright, fine," she retorted. If this was how she was to gain acceptance with these wolves, she'd do it.

Alueme turned and followed the scent of the snake. It led her around a few corners and then she caught sight of it. The she-wolf quickened her pace a bit, but not so much to look suspicious. She was about twenty feet away from it when the reptile slipped down a storm drain. She came to a stop right above and looked down. The snake had escaped into the sewer. "Just great..." she mumbled as she thought of her options.

I'll have to find a way into the sewer, she thought, either that, or I'll have to give up and go crawling back to those males. "That's a no-brainer," she whispered to herself. She looked up and down the street. No one was in sight, but just to make sure, she sniffed the air. No people were coming so she dropped her human disguise for a moment and clenched her teeth around the drain's iron bars. She braced her paws on the concrete and pulled with all of her strength.

After a few moments, the already weaken drain cover came free. Alueme gently let it to the ground and slid it next to the dark opening. Once more she sniffed, the coast was still clear. She could hear water rushing down below her in the sewer. "Now or never," she muttered. She took on her human camouflage again and lowered herself into the hole in the concrete. She braced herself halfway through and grabbed the drain piece.

Then she let herself fall while still holding the iron bars. As soon as she felt it fall back into place with a jerk she let go and fell into the water below her. It was not as deep as the she-wolf had thought, but it was enough to break her fall.

No sooner then she had hit the stream; it began to pull her with its current. She could easily keep her head above the icy, prying fingers of the water. Now the only problem was where did the snake get to? "That's the least of your problems..." came a wispy sounding voice. Alueme could hardly suppress a growl in her throat, "Who the hell are you and how did you know what I was thinking?!" "Tsk, tsk, such language coming from such a pretty young wolf!" The voice sounded almost ghastly now.

Alueme remained quiet as she drifted through the darkness. There was only the occasional light from storm drains overhead. She did her best to keep her thoughts clear and her own voice dead. What ever that voice was, it was most surely gone by now, right? But her hopes were dashed as the mysterious voice returned, "That creature you are chasing, the one you call snake? It is very near now. It has crawled up onto the inner sidewalks of this sewer. Go now fellow hunter, and chase your prey." And with that the voice disappeared into the darkness again.

Not having much of any other choice, Alueme pulled herself out of the chilling water and onto the concrete ledge. She took her wolf form and shook herself dry. "Time to hunt," she smiled. She had gotten a chance to hunt rodents a lot when she was younger. The she-wolf had always enjoyed the thrill she got from stalking her small victim, to sinking her canines into it.

Alueme cocked her ears and listened for any sound of movement. She couldn't hear anything except the rushing water at her side. Nonetheless the she-wolf stalked forward in the darkness. She strained her ears for other sounds. She picked up the clicking of her claws on the hard ground, and then, from around a corner she heard the snake. "I've got you now, you stupid snake," breathed Alueme.

She quickened her pace and by the time she rounded the corner, the reptile was only about thirty feet ahead of her. Now she was running towards the snake and as she closed in, she couldn't help but smile. Her jaws drove down and around the snake's neck and clamped tightly around it. After hearing a satisfying crack, she sat back on her haunches and let her muscles relax for a moment. She hadn't realized how tired she was after having to keep her head above the water. But now she realized she had another problem. How to get out.

She couldn't have made it out a storm drain if she tried. It was too small a hole to jump through, even if she had left it open. She exhaled, mainly through her nose because she still held the dangling reptile in her mouth. Her instincts were telling her to go in the direction of fresh air, but her mind was saying no. What was she to do now?

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Okay, I know I'm evil to leave it hanging like that, but I need some time to come up with more ideas. I am very sorry it took so long for me to update. I apologize. And about making the chapters longer; I think that three pages in Word is an okay length of chapter. Yeah, well, please review for this. If you feel like it that is. I can't force you to do anything. (I wish I could, I would make tons of people review...)


	4. Alueme's Past

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Derangomaji- Yes... I know, I know, I will keep updating.... 

xkuroxshinobix- Of course I will keep updating! (As long as people keep reading) Even if it takes does take a lifetime....

Flame34- I WILL continue and I'm NOT a chipmunk...

fangimation- You know... I really wasn't planning on romance in this story... but I might be able to work something in. Maybe.

Whiskers- Okay... hopefully I will finish this story before I die. And I see myself as being more of a wolf at heart, rather than dog. ; P

sakura- well, I know I take a long time to review, but what can I do about writer's block? I hate it but it won't go away.

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Alueme was racking her brain for any idea on how to get out of the sewers. If she followed the scent of fresh air, it should lead her to an exit. But if it did, then why did she have an uneasy feeling about it?

"In these cities of human stone, it is far better to trust you mind. For your instincts can be tricked." Alueme slightly flinched; it was that voice again. She dropped the lifeless snake to the ground. "Well," she started, "How am I supposed to get out of here if I can't follow fresh air?" "The voice chuckled, "Follow me." "But where are you?" The voice replied, "Can you see me? No. Can you smell me? Not quite. But can you hear me? Of course you can, now stop worrying and follow your ears."

Not presented with any other options, Alueme picked up the reptile and listened for directions. Instead she heard the voice humming a tune. At first she was baffled by this, but once the hum got quieter in the distance, the she-wolf understood. It would be easier to follow a melody rather than a constant voice. Why else would the voice sing instead of speak?

Alueme walked on in the sewer, letting the drifting voice lead her. The tune was a cheerful one, but at the same time somewhat sad. At one point the voice stopped singing for a few seconds, which worried Alueme until she heard it start up again, at the beginning of the song. After walking on for a while and listening to the music, a strange feeling began to fill Alueme. All of her puppy hood memories were coming back, as fresh as day.

She remembered her two siblings. One was her sister, born in the same litter as Alueme. She was a gray pup streaked with black. Cesly, that was her sister's name, **was** mind you. The pack had a run in with a troop of humans dressed all in black armor, and the results were devastating. They had gotten a hold of over half the pack. Of course the captured wolves tried to get free, but their struggles only got them killed. Among the wolves killed were Alueme's father and sister.

Then there was her older brother, a red furred wolf; surprising only because the rest of the pack members were grays or dull browns. Her brother's name was Trikan. Alueme grew very attached to her brother, seeing as all of the older wolves always had their paws busy with hunting or keeping humans away. Trikan too had died, but not from wolf hunters.

Alueme's pack had come to a river frozen over by recent temperature drops. Being the Alpha, Alueme's mother had crossed first, with the young she-wolf at her paws. Then a couple of the older wolves crossed and nothing about the river changed. Trikan had insisted to be the last one across to make sure that everyone made it over. Seeing that the first few wolves had crossed the ice safely, the rest of the pack grew bold and began to cross the river. Trikan waited until he was sure that the ice could hold up the pack. Then he stepped onto the ice. He had sighed in relief when nothing happened, but then a small crack on the ice had appeared. No one paid it any attention though; what could a small break in the ice cause? Unfortunately, that was their undoing. Within a matter of seconds, the ice had shattered and plunged six wolves into the icy water. The opening in the ice shut as quickly as it had opened, leaving four wolves standing in shock.

Seeing there was no was for the wolves to have survived, Alueme's mother lead the last of the pack into a city nearby. Not a few weeks past, before both of the old wolves had passed away. That left only Alueme and her mother. Alueme was still a pup at this time, and she remembered snuggling beside her mother's soft smoky gray fur. Life when on, and Alueme grew up in the city. She was fairly happy with her living, until the night her mother disappeared. Since then Alueme had been on edge about nearly every thing and everyone. What bothered her most about her mother's sudden vanishing, is that it was just that. Sudden. When Alueme had woken up one morning, her mother was gone. Not a scent or anything left. Now that Alueme had met these new wolves, she wanted to fit in with them. The life of a solitary wolf just didn't suite her.

Alueme snapped suddenly out of her daydream. She looked around her a realized with a start that she was no longer in the sewer, but standing at the end of a large metal tube, no doubt leading from the sewer. As long as she was out in the open, the she-wolf was happy, but something bothered her. The moment she had come out of her dream, the song was gone. Or maybe it was vice versa.

The she-wolf sighed and easily found the scent of the four wolves. The scents lead her right back to where she had parted with them. They were all there, too.

"Wow! You really caught it?" exclaimed Toboe. Alueme spat the reptile onto the ground, "Yup, I sure did!" "Probably just beginner's luck," snorted Tsume. "I'm not a beginner you know," retorted Alueme. The gray wolf slightly glared at Alueme, "You are to us." "In any case, congratulations," said Kiba. Alueme smiled, grateful that at least one of them was thankful.

"Hm... I wonder what snake tastes like..."thought Hige aloud. "All you think of is food," criticized Tsume. Hige sighed, "What can I say? I'm a connoisseur." Kiba smiled and turned to the she-wolf, "Do you feel up to traveling?" "Yeah of course I do," answered Alueme. She hadn't realized how rejuvenated she had felt after hearing the voice's song. Which reminded her, "While I was chasing that snake, a voice came out of nowhere and helped me find my way out of the sewers." "A voice?" said Tsume skeptically. Alueme nodded, "Yes, and it was singing."

That part caught Kiba's attention, "This singing voice, did it sound like a girl and remind you of flowers?" "No, it... was a more male sounding voice, and the tune it sang brought up memories of my past..." Toboe's eyes lit up and he said, "I've heard a voice like that before!" Hige was surprised, "You did? Well then why didn't you say anything runt?" "Well it didn't seem important. It's not like you would have believed me..."mumbled Toboe. Hige was about to respond when Kiba cut in, "You two can finish your conversation later. Right now we should focus on putting ground between us and this city." With out waiting for any reply, Kiba took off running in his wolf form. Tsume followed, as did Hige. Toboe looked at Alueme and smiled, "Come on!" he turned and ran off after the others. The she-wolf sighed and smiled. This almost felt like her old pack, but she knew it wasn't. Alueme shook her head and sprinted after Toboe and the other wolves.

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So? How do you like it? Please let me know if any of you have suggestions. Yeah... I'd say that my writer's block has disappeared, but likely to reappear at any time convenient to me. Sorry, but I am busy with my own books a lot of the time.


	5. Talk of Paradise

Whiskers- Why thank you ever so much for allowing me to live. I really appreciate it.

Digital-tiffany- I doubt I will get writer's block again soon. But then again, I will have a lot of pointless school projects so I might not be able to update regularly. Have I read your fics yet? I don't think so... O.O Well I will! Soon.

Rhythmic Breathing- You called me a good author! I am happy! Yeah so, thanks for reviewing.

liz- I will keep updating ASAP. I promise. And I got a great idea for this story since I saw the last episode of Wolf's Rain...I will leave you to ponder...

oralha- I wasn't planning on making the voice a flower...

Derangonmaji- Thank you for reviewing! I'll see about reviewing for you story.

Hieiluver1- I AM continuing. Jeez, do you people think I'm just going to forget about this story?

Victoria- Okay then, here's more.

Flame34- yes... I'll try to update soon Flame.

SeattleRain- Thanks for all of the compliments!

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The pack of five raced across the barren plains that separated the human cities. The white wolf, Kiba, was in the lead, followed closely by Tsume, the gray wolf with the 'x' shaped scar on his chest. Next came the food loving Hige, with his sandy colored pelt. Then there was the brown pup, Toboe. And last came Alueme, the black she-wolf.

They were heading toward the scent of the flowers. Lunar flowers to be precise. The scent would surely lead them to the flower maiden and... paradise.

"What kind of paradise are we supposed to expect once we find the maiden?" panted Alueme. "I bet it's a place with food all over so we'll never go hungry!" exclaimed Hige, of course. "Hopefully a place with no stinking humans," added Tsume. "A place with no fighting or pain," breathed the pup, Toboe. Kiba slowed to a trot, "Paradise is a place made for wolves, a place that is perfect for us."

"What do you think, Alueme?" asked Toboe. The she-wolf was a bit startled at hearing her name spoken aloud and stopped. The other wolves stopped as well. "Well, I guess it would make sense that Paradise would be a place where we can be free."

"Yeah!" shouted Hige, "A place to run wild!" The collared wolf spring up and bounded around a little bit. "Gee, you never show this much energy in the cities...Your acting like Toboe," muttered Tsume. "What can I say? This cool, crisp air does wonders for my nose," said Hige, who chose to ignore Tsume's second comment.

Toboe watched Hige running around in the snow and suddenly felt offended, "Hey! I don't act like that!" Kiba joined the conversation, "You're right Toboe; you don't. You're a well behaved pup, which I doubt Hige was." "He was probably the trouble maker of the litter," pointed out Alueme nonchalantly.

"Hey, what is this? Why are you all ganging up on me?" "Because you're so easy to gang up on," stated Tsume. "No I'm not!" argued Hige. "Oh come on, you're practically digging your own grave," countered Tsume. "Ugh, don't remind me of that creepy old wolf..." complained Hige. Alueme cocked her head to one side, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, a while ago, we stopped in this city where there were tons of wolves, but they all worked for humans. One of them was an old wolf that popped out of a hole in the ground, literally. He was creepy looking, no offense to him," explained Hige, slightly cringing at the memory.

Kiba shook his head, "Hige, you have a tendency to leave out details and over exaggerate. There were not that many wolves and some of them could be considered dogs. But anyway, we wandered into a graveyard where we met an old wolf who was digging his grave. Yes, literally. He jumped out of the grave after completing it and surprised us."

Tsume snorted, "It was you three that were scared, not me." "Don't deny it Tsume; you were just as startled as the rest of us. I could smell it." Tsume glared at the white wolf.

There was a moment of silence and then Toboe spoke up, "Are we gonna stay here for the night?" Kiba looked around, "It seems like good enough place. We can sleep near those rocks for shelter." He pointed his nose towards some boulders not far away.

"Sounds like a plan. And if we're lucky, we might catch a whiff of a deer or something!" "Possible, but unlikely," said Alueme. "Well aren't you Miss Positive!" Hige retorted. Toboe turned his head and took a deep breathe, "No... wait... I do smell something!" "Really?!" Hige immediately started sniffing the air as well.

The wind shifted and the scent of a live deer filled the noses of all five wolves. Soon the deer came bounding over a barren hill. It stopped to nibble on a patch of dry grass. The wolves stared in awe. "Imagine our luck..." whispered Hige. "Wow," exhaled Toboe. "This will be our first hunt as a pack, won't it?" observed Kiba. Alueme shot a glance at him, "So you admit that this is a pack?" Kiba had an astonished look on his face. He sighed, "Well, I suppose it is now..." "Let's just get on with the hunt," said Tsume. Kiba nodded, "Alright, Tsume, Hige; you two will follow me in. We'll take the deer from the front and sides. Toboe, Alueme, I want two to run behind it and block off its escapes, got it?" The four other wolves nodded. "Let's go then," said Kiba with a growl of amusement.

Kiba, flanked by Tsume and Hige, walked slowly in the direction of the deer, waiting for Toboe and Alueme to get in place.

The pup and the she-wolf made a wide circle around the deer, pausing only when the deer perked its head up. The wind changed direction again and the deer caught scent of the wolves. It sprinted, trying to get away, but Hige ran forward and jumped into its path. Startled even more, the deer leapt backwards and tried to escape in a different direction.

This time Toboe locked its path. Alueme ran up behind the deer and snapped, causing the deer to bound towards Kiba and Tsume. The gray wolf bit into the deer's shoulder, holding it still while Kiba bit its neck. The deer thrashed for a moment longer, and then fell still.

The wolves feasted in the deer that night and slept near the safety of the boulders. They received a well-deserved rest.

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Okay, I know it may look a bit different, but that's the fault of qucik edit. **Not mine!** Yeah well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I have no clue what will happen in the next chapter so give me some time to think. I don't like being rushed. 


	6. The Plot Revealed

"My goodness!" groaned Hige, as his legs sank into the snow again, "Doesn't this snow know how to solidify itself! Geez!"

"Well I haven't had any problems, so it must just be you, porky," said Tsume.

Alueme's stomach was aching for food. It had been nearly two weeks since they had taken down the deer. She was surprised that Hige wasn't yipping on about food, but then again, he was preoccupied with his snow troubles.

"Up ahead," Kiba called back to the others, "There's an outcropping of rocks. We can rest there for a bit."

"Good," panting Toboe, "We've been walking all day…"

Kiba sped up to reach the rocks, followed by four wolves.

Looking around, Hige said, "This isn't much of a shelter, is it?"

A large rock was sticking up at an angle. It provided only a limited refuge, but any was better than none.

Filled with a sudden drowsiness, Hige crawled under the outcrop and sighed.

Tsume snorted at him and said, "I'm going to take a look around."

"How much is there to see?" Hige sarcastically remarked.

Tsume suppressed a growl and trotted around to the other side of the rockery.

"You shouldn't provoke him so much, Hige," Alueme commented.

Hige shrugged, "Aw, deep down, he probably likes it…" The tan wolf's head sank to his paws and he drifted off to sleep.

Toboe shifted nervously, "Uh, I'm gonna go find Tsume." He looked at Kiba for permission.

Kiba nodded, "Go ahead. You can't get too lost out here."

The white wolf padded in a laid near the rocks as well. He looked at the she-wolf, "What are you going to do?"

Alueme looked at her paws, and then out over the tundra. "I suppose I'll go track down Tsume and Toboe. I feel too restless to relax at the moment."

Not hearing any protest from Kiba, she padded around the rocks, in the direction the other two wolves had gone.

When she got to the other side, she saw no one… '_Ugh, they've probably already gone back around,'_ thought Alueme. As she was about to turn around, Toboe came out from a gap between two of the boulders.

"Hey, Alueme!" the pup called out, "Come look at what Tsume found!"

Ears perked up, the she-wolf walked over to Toboe and watched as he turned and dove back down a tunnel between the stones.

She followed.

Down below, there was a cavern. There was a stone pedestal in the center, and on it was a glowing object.

Tsume had taken on his human guise to get a better view of the 'thing'.

"What is it?" asked Alueme, also taking her human form.

"How the hell'm I suppose to know?" said Tsume, putting his hands on hi hips. He sounded frustrated.

Alueme walked up to the illuminating object, using her hand to shield her eyes from the direct light. From what she could see, it was only an orb of some sort. But what purpose could it have?

"Hey Toboe, go get Kiba and Hige," said Tsume.

The pup nodded and ran off to get them.

"You know… Hige had just fallen asleep when I came back here looking for you guys," said Alueme, glancing at Tsume.

She saw him smirk as he said, "All the better…"

A few moments later, Toboe came back with Kiba and Hige.

"I just know I would have had a nice dream, too, if you guys hadn't woke me up for- Whoa! What the hell is that light from?" yipped Hige.

Kiba pushed past him and circled around to sit on the opposite side of the pedestal. The white wolf squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look at the object in question.

"Do you think it has something to do with Paradise?" asked Toboe.

"I don't think so… it has no scent of Lunar flowers," said Kiba.

"But that doesn't mean it has nothing to do with Paradise," said Tsume.

"Hey, since when did you become a believer, eh, Tsume?" snickered Hige.

"Shut up!" The gray wolf growled.

"_Ah! You've found it! You've found it_!" came a new voice.

"Oh no…" mumbled Alueme, half in awe, half in shock. It was the voice that had led her out of the sewers.

"It's you!" Exclaimed Toboe, "I've heard you before!"

"_Ah yes… my two little helpers…your names I believe, are Toboe and Alueme, are they not_?"

"Is this the voice you two heard?" asked Kiba.

"Yes… yes it is! Who are you?" Toboe called out.

"_I? No one special. I am simply… hm… what would your kind call me? I suppose, yes… just call me a demon_," the voice said.

"But do you have a name?" asked Hige. All signs of his tiredness, had seemingly drifted away. He was now all ears, waiting for an answer from the voice, just like the other wolves.

After waiting for a few minutes, Tsume muttered, "It probably left…"

Tsume was about to make a rude comment about the voice, when it spoke up again, "_No… I am still here, just… thinking… of name for you wolves to call me_…"

"You mean to say you don't have a name?" asked Alueme. Another thought crossed her mind, "Do you have solid form? Or are you just a voice?"

"_A voice? No. no, I am more than a voice… AH, once I think up a name for you to call me, I shall go into my 'solid form', as you put it. Just please try and be patient… It's been a long time since I have spoken so freely_," the voice answered.

And so the wolves waited for the voice to find a name for itself. Hige sighed and lay down, making himself comfortable by leaning against a wall. Kiba sat polity and waited. Tsume and gone back to being a wolf and was also sitting. Toboe was jingling the bracelets on his leg. Alueme, having gone back to a wolf as well, was kicking a rock between her forepaws.

"_Yes! I've got a name for myself. It took me awhile, but I've remembered it at long last! You noble wolves may call me Kibure Hiroshari, the demon-lord of wolves_."

The five wolves snapped back to attention.

The air near the entrance of the small cave started to swirl as a body formed.

The wolves watched intently.

Four pawed legs, much like those of an average wolf, appeared, and connected to a lithe silver body. On the feet, where the dew would usually be, was a sickle claw, like that of a dinosaur. The tail was long, scaled and split near the end. Two ears, larger than normal for a wolf, appeared on a not-so-normal head. The muzzle was longer, and more reptile-like, although the eyes were obviously wolf eyes. Two yellow orbs, specked with green, stared out.

The demon-lord snorted and shook his head, "It has been far too long since I have taken this 'solid form'. I've forgotten how much I missed it…"

"Wow…" gaped Toboe.

Not wanting to appear stunned by this, Tsume grunted, "How long are you talking about?"

"Oh, many, many years…" Kibure said, closing his eyes, "Yes, I believe…742 years… somewhere around there." He opened his eyes again.

"Geez, just how old are you?" exclaimed Hige, tilted his head to the side.

"Old," smiled the demon.

"Apparently…" mumbled Alueme. She was still in partial shock of this new development.

"Now," said Kibure, looking directly into the glowing orb, "I believe I should tell you five what this is… This item is said to open a gate way into the demonic realm, which is where I first came from. I was summoned by humans, long ago, into this world. I've been stuck here ever since. Now, I know you wolves want to get to fabled Paradise. And I want to get back into the demonic realm. I'll make a deal with you. I'll help you get the flower maiden, if you'll help me open the gateway."

"Really?" breathed Kiba. You could tell he was considering it.

"Tch, we don't need your help. Open the damn door by yourself," Tsume snorted.

"Calm down Tsume, we might be able to use his help! He is a demon!" said Toboe.

Alueme didn't say anything, but started thinking about what Kibure's world must be like.

"Curiosity is a sign of intelligence," said The demon-lord quietly. He eyed each of the wolves, "You may talk with each other and decide. I will sit here and await your answer."

* * *

OMG! I have a plot! (Or at least a sad excuse for a plot…) Anyways, I've finally given this story a purpose. I'm not sure where to go with this, but I'll work something out. 


End file.
